Most Popular White Papers
Content provided in partnership with
Perchta the belly-slitter and her kin: a view of some traditional threatening figures, threats and punishments
Folklore, August, 2004 by John B. Smith
In fact, the present-day student of folk narrative will recognise many of the themes that find expression in the AFA material, and will perhaps allow that, although there are doubtless archaic elements here, there is little that "smacks of heathendom" in the way that Grimm meant. For instance, all three accounts of Perchta and her company of unbaptised infants echo in one way or another the story of the mother who in a dream or vision sees her dead child along with others, and is warned by it that her tears are depriving it of rest (Petzoldt 1978, 76, no. 126). As far as we know, this was first told by the Dominican Thomas Cantimpratensis in 1260, presumably to discourage excessive mourning. It was translated into German by Geiler von Kaisersberg about the beginning of the sixteenth century, and, entering popular tradition, it will then have become associated with Frau Perchta. Her words implying that, through being given the name of Zodawascherl the child of the second story has been redeemed, are similarly Christian in tenor. Zodawascherl means "ragged little mite," and parallels from well beyond the confines of Austria spring to mind (Rumpf 1991, 31-3). Compare the Scottish story in which a drunkard without forethought redeems the ghost of an unchristened child by jocularly addressing it as "Short-Hoggers," hoggers being footless stockings of the sort the child is apparently wearing (Briggs 1970-1, vol. B 1, 566).
Far from being miraculously intact repositories of prehistoric numinosity, stories such as Richard Wolfram's thus rather demonstrate the tendency of migratory motifs and legends of diverse origin, some admittedly archaic in tone and perhaps ultimately in substance, to cluster around characters and events with which they have a thematic affinity (Rumpf 1991, 31ff.). Perchta's carriage that the farmhand repairs can hardly be demonstrated to be the carriage or plough of Mother Earth. There is no doubt, however, that in Mecklenburg what is in effect the same story is told of Wauld the Wild Huntsman and his carriage (Petzoldt 1978, 143-4, no. 234), and the worthless-seeming reward that turns to gold is of course widely known (Rumpf 1991, 33). When in Wolfram's story about the prying farmhand that person is blinded for a year, the removal and restoration of sight are not a prerogative of Perchta's, but a power vested in many supernatural entities, including the Wild Hunt (Meier 1983, 135, no 151.2), of which Perchta, like diverse other figures, can be the leader (Kellner 1994, 281-318, especially 314). Not only can Perchta make you blind, she can also cause, and cure, usually again after a year has elapsed, other physical afflictions, such as head and back pains or lameness (Wolfram 1980, 46). What is archaic in all this is the idea that illness and injury can be inflicted by supernatural agencies. Whatever numen is cast in the appropriate role depends on the personnel to hand. Linguistic evidence can sometimes be adduced. Take the Scottish elfshot for various diseases of cattle and humans, its Norwegian counterpart alvskoten meaning "lame," or the still current German word for lumbago, Hexenschuss, literally "witches' bolt" (Honko 1959, 46; Wright 1970, vol. 2, 247-8).
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: Business
- Academy of Marketing Science Review
- Accounting Historians Journal, The
- Accounting History
- AgExporter
- Agricultural Research
- Agricultural and Resource Economics Review
- Air Force Comptroller
- Air Safety Week
- Airline Industry Information
- American Demographics
- American Journal of Potato Research
- Architectural Review, The
- Asian Economic News
- Entrepreneur
Most Popular Articles in Reference
- The importance of understanding organizational culture
- Credit card attitudes and behaviors of college students
- What factors attract foreign direct investment?
- Libraries Need Relationship Marketing - mutual interest marketing concept, ...
- How to set performance goals: employee reviews are more than annual critiques
- More »